infernos. >> may i on behalf of myself and my colleagues on this broadcast extend our good wishes to all of you. we hope that you are all safe and that you're recovering from what has been a very, very difficult period. thanks so much for watching. chris matthews and "hardball" is next. good government, good politics. let's play "hardball." ♪ good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. let me start tonight with this, i can't think of a better job than helping the american people defend themselves. fortunately for president obama, that's his job this week. he signed up for it, and now it needs doing. there's no walking away from it, nothing that takes precedence over putting his head and heart into ensuring the absolute best to the absolute best of his ability that people in the northeast part of the country recover and begin to reconstruct from this natural emergency.

and every second this pred applies himself, the most he must hope that the electoral momentum will shift in his direction because these several days will test if the president shares the hope on which he's built his public life. here is the latest on sandy's devastating impact. this storm has been blamed for at least 38 deaths so far. there's new video this afternoon showing the massive destruction along the new jersey shore. governor chris christie of new jersey called the impact on his state unthinkable and said it would take months to recover. the storm swept houses from their foundations and left parts of the coast under water as you can see. new york city is also dealing with devastating floods. the subway remains closed after damage to the system was called the worst in its 108-year history. look at it there. meanwhile, massive fire at a beach front neighborhood in queens, new york, destroyed nearly 100 homes overnight and into the morning. firefighters were blocked from getting to the fire due to high

floodwaters. a construction crane remaining dangling there. you see it atop 74-floor luxury high rise. thousands were ordered to leave nearby buildings. more than 8 million homes are still without power today in the country across 20 states. the worst of it is in new york, new jersey, and pennsylvania. i want to bring in dylan drier. thank you for joining us. run through sort of a brief outline of what's going on. give us a sense of the depth and the duration of what we're facing here, the cleanup and face this catastrophe. >> chris, unfortunately, the duration is going to be the big story because the storm is not over yet. even though conditions are getting better i'd say just because the winds are calming a little bit and the rain is letting up, the storm is sill producing tons of know back through west virginia. it's producing tons of rain back across portions of pennsylvania into new york state, so now we're going to start getting into more of a river flooding situation. so it's transitioning from a

coastal problem into an inland issue, and even out through the great lakes we're seeing winds now gusting up still near 30 to 40 miles per hour. we're seeing record wave heights on the great lakes region and it's producing delays at chicago. it's producing delays in cleveland airport. so we are going to see this whole storm system linger over the northeast for a little while now, and the snow that we were seeing in southern ohio, it is starting to basically be isolated to the mountains of west virginia, and that area has already picked up almost 30 inches of snowfall. this storm has so many facets to it. we're still looking at another 3 to 6 inches possible in areas that already have 30 inches and the sheer size of this storm, it's nearly 900 miles in diameter. this is huge, to extend from northern new england all the way back into indiana, into eastern kentucky, eastern tennessee. that's the problem with this storm. now, we do still have to focus

in the new york city area for tonight's high tide. it won't be as bad this this morning's high tide and especially not as bad as last night's high tide but the winds still coming in out of the south and it's still going to produce a minimal storm surge that could create some flooding. also, we're seeing those wind gusts still in the city up to around 30 miles per hour. my biggest concern for tonight is with all those eastern cities without power, all the neighborhoods without power, temperatures tonight in the new jersey, new york, pennsylvania area will get down into the 30s tonight. so it's going to start getting a little bit exhausting for all the people without power who have the cleanup to do and then deal with the cold nights on top of it. so it is going to be a major concern i think for several days moving into this weekend and the weekend, too. >> devastating report there. thank you, dylan dreyer. i'm joined by political director chuck todd and editorial director for "the huffington post" howard fineman. chuck, i want you to start here,

tell me -- let's look at the president. the president visited red cross headquarters this afternoon and promised to help the hard-hit communities cut through the bureaucratic red tape to get assistance. let's watch him here today. >> my instructions to the federal agency has been do not figure out why we can't do something. i want you to figure out how we do something. i want you to cut through red tape. i want you to cut through bureaucracy. there's no excuse for inaction at this point. i want every agency to lean forward and to make sure that we are getting the resources where they need -- where they're needed as quickly as possible. >> meanwhile, this afternoon vice president biden was asked about the president's response to the disaster. here is what he had to say. let's take a look. >> look, i've never seen a guy so focused. i mean, he wants to make sure -- look, the last comfort we had he said, he said, look, folks i'm

up late at night. you don't get immediate response from my folks, call me, here is my number. so this is a hands-on deal right now to get everything done. >> chuck todd, back to you. you've covered this president for a long time now. you've really seen how he operates. instead of doing the piecemeal sort of little i can't use the word mickey mouse aspect of politics, here is a grand decision, do the job and hope things will turn out politically okay but do the job. it seems like that's his commitment. is it? >> yes. look, this is a case where good politics is not playing politics. don't look at this, and remember who you're dealing with. you're dealing with a chris christie, a michael bloomberg, and an andy cuomo. these are three guys who are not shy. if they think the federal government was not helping them, was not being aggressive, they thought the president wasn't on top of this or wasn't doing everything that they thought the federal government could do, don't you think they'd run, not walk to a tv camera and let

people know? you're in a unique situation here with a hard-hit area, three very politically savvy, media savvy governors in the most important media market in the world. you don't want to mess this up. so i think this is a case where it's good politics not to play politics and just throw yourself into disaster relief because you're dealing with a high population area that, frankly, you mess this up, the whole world is going to know about it. >> yeah, howard, what's impressive is he's going to new jersey today. not to one of those states that we got a little tired covering basically, the so-called swing states. he went to the states in need "today." >> he canceled a trip to ohio, which was a swing state, and went to new jersey. i moo en, he's going to new jersey. >> going to. >> going to new jersey, excuse me. that's the right call. there are a few things here. first of all, chuck is right. the best politics is no politics. and also it underscores the role of the government, it underscores the argument that the president makes about the role of government in times of

crisis and in times of need in the fact that the states and the private sector, as great as they are and as important as they are, can't do everything, especially when we're faced with the kind of natural ace aces a ter we've seen. this makes his argument about government. so that's very important for him. also, don't forget that chris christie, if i can be political for a second in the midst of this, chris christie is the guy who gave the keynote address at the republican convention. and chris christie has nothing but -- has had nothing so far nothing but good things to say about the president. that's nothing the president needs to talk about. that's nothing any of his aides or advisers or campaign people need to talk about. but it won't go unnoticed as chuck says in this media environment. >> let's look at what governor christie of new jersey had to say today on the "today" show and on "morning joe." >> i was on the phoned a might nid again with the president

personally. he's expedited the declaration of new jersey as a disaster area. the president has been outstanding in this. the president has been all over this and deserves great credit. i have been on the phone with him yesterday personally three times. he gave me his number at the white house and told me to call him if i needed anything and he absolutely needs it. it's been very good working with the president and his administration. >> he also responded with annoyance after a fox news personality asked him an overtly political question about mitt romney. let's take a listen. >> is there any possibility that governor romney may go to new jersey to tour some of the damage with you? >> i have no idea nor am i the least bit concerned or interested. >> right. >> i have a job to do here in new jersey. i have got 2.4 million people out of power. i have got devastation on the shore. i have got floods in the northern part of my state. if you think right now i give a damn about presidential politics, then you don't know

me. >> let's talk about that, chuck, and i do believe it. you know, i have been having a big -- we had a big production meeting today talking about the motives that move people. it's always complicated. when you're in war you worry about your buddies and getting through the night achieving your mission. there may be medals down the road but they're not on your mind certainly i can imagine. any political medal it's will have to come as afterthoughts. that's my thinking. i am not a 23450i eve person. i think they're doing their jobs. your thoughts. >> i do, too. new jersey, this is a hard-hit area. i think this is a guy who has been up all night. hearing about the devastation, hearing about stranded people in atlantic city, hearing about these things, and then, you know, we all know chris christie a little bit, to be asked a political question that's just not in his nature, it's not who he is on this front. look, there would have been a price to pay for him, again, this goes back to what i said about the president, what's good politics for chris christie is not to think about politics. the minute you start thinking about politics in any of these

situations you get caught. you always get caught at some point. maybe you get caught in front of a tv camera, maybe you get caught by another lawmaker, maybe you get caught somewhere else, but you get caught and you get punished, and by the way, it's a big punishment. the downside for even hinting and worrying the least bit about politics in a moment like this, the punishment is bad. it's political -- it can end your political career. i give to you kathleen blanco. >> yeah. and ray nagin. >> i think that's true, but i would just observe somebody outside of the emergency situation that mitt romney's closing argument in a lot of swing states has been about how he will be a bipartisan leader in a way that the president hasn't been able to do in congress. that argument is silently indirectly undercut by the teamwork of the president and chris christie right now. that's my only point. not that they have a political motive in doing it. i'm just saying that's the fact

of the situation right now. >> talk about that a bit, chuck, because i have seen some interesting good relationships developing here between -- you talked about the importance of the media market in new york to the whole country, new york is, of course, the broadcasting center of this country as well as the commercial center. you have people like -- who are naturally competitive, the mayor of new york is always -- going back to rockefeller, always competitive because the fight over funds between the state and the city. and you have bloomberg, one of the best mayors ever probably and you have andrew cuomo who only has been seen as a great governor so far basically getting -- working in tandem here. you have the president and a guy who wrote the keynote speps ch speech for romney working in tandem. you got to be careful about saying anything is god's will, but this is a week that was given to us. we're told as people to cover this story as journalists. these politicians were told to do their jobs this week. >> well, and, again, when you think about the area that was hit and you think about these three personalities and these

three politicians, they all have a reputation for, you know, if something is not going right, they will call out. in fact, sometimes you wonder do they enjoy making members of their own party upset at some point? or they don't mind making enemies if they think it will help them parochially. all three of them have been very effective at doing that sometimes. they're all three very media savvy. so, you know, that's why i think, you know, talk about -- this is more of a high wire act for the president i think than people realize because he's got three people he's dealing with in the hardest hit areas of new york and new jersey and bloomberg, cuomo, and christie, that if there is the slightest misstep by the federal government, the three of them will jump on it in a second. so it's -- it is the easy call here for the president is to quote, do your job, get on top of this, it's all about that. but a misstep, and, you know, he's in a media market where he's got three aggressive people

who would call him on it. >> let's leave it at that. we've never had a better, more uplifting session in "hardball" than we just had. i mean it. nothing nasty. not poison in the water here. thank you. coming up, pants on fire. mary mccarthy once said of her rival, every word she writes is a lie including and and the. the same could almost be said of mitt romney and his new tv ads in ohio about who would do more nor the auto industry. you see the price of desperation here. and the campaign's response to the universal criticism they just keep running it. also, did climate change have something to do with hurricane sandy in freak storms happen all the time but this is precisely the kind ever event that scientists have been predicting to us for years. and why would eisenhower endorse a democrat for president? susan eisenhower comes here to talk about it. and does anyone really have a grip on who mitt romney is?

this is "hardball," the place for politics.

well, with one week before the election, remember that? we've got lots of new poll numbers in the presidential race. let's go to the "hardball" scoreboard. we start in florida where a new cnn poll has mitt romney leading by one point, but a new ppp poll from florida has president obama up by one point. 49%, 50%. in ohio a new pp p poll has the president leading by four, 51%, 47%. new hampshire, a small state that may play a big role on election night. the new pp p poll has the president up by two there. in north carolina a new poll from elan university, shows the race tied, who would have thought that. finally to oregon, a state president obama won by 17 points in '08. the race is tightening there. it's down to 47%, obama, 41% for romney. we'll be right back. ♪ ooh baby, looks like you need a little help there ♪

♪ ooh baby, can i do for you today? ♪ [ female announcer ] need help keeping your digestive balance? align can help. only align has bifantis, a patented probiotic that naturally helps maintain your digestive balance. try align to help retain a balanced digestive system. try the #1 gastroenterologist recommended probiotic. align.

welcome back to "hardball." we now know this election may

very well come down to ohio. and in the last few days the romney campaign has done some things even independent observers consider desperate. first came this from mitt romney last thursday in defiance, ohio, about an hour away from toledo. >> i saw one of the great manufacturers in this state, jeep, now owned by the italians, is thinking of moving all production to china. i will fight for every good job in america. i'm going to fight to make sure trade is fair, and if it's fair, america will win. >> sounds terrible, but it's false. did you hear that, false, what he just said. chrysler which was bought by fiat said it's not taking any jobs from ohioans, it's adding jobs. also plans on resuming jeep production in china for chinese drivers. not moving jobs from the united states to china. customary lay when one of the campaign launches a commercial,

they send us press releases, not this one. this started running in ohio and suggests that jobs are moving to china. >> who will do more for the auto vi? not barack obama. fact checkers confirm his attacks on mitt romney are false. the truth? mitt romney has a plan to help the auto industry. he's supported by lee iacocca and the "detroit news." obama took gm and chrysler into bankruptcy and sole chrysler to italians who are going to build jeeps in china. mitt romney will fight for every american job. >> they're not backing down, of course. they're also running misleading radio ads on the same topic. michael steele ised former chairman of the rnc and ron reagan is a radio talk show hosts. both of my guests are msnbc political analysts. i want to start with ron. this stuff, weeks ago the romney campaign said we're not going to let this campaign be run by fact checkers. i mean, i have never heard it

said -- you just say we don't care if you find out we're lying. lying is a bad word. we don't care if you catch us. we're going to keep doing it. because we're desperate. >> yeah, well, they may be desperate. ohio is going to be the clincher for this election. everybody has been saying it and it's probably true. mitt romney probably hopes that the truth isn't going to find him in ohio at some point here. he's been a shape shifter his entire political career. this shouldn't surprise us, and yet somehow he's taken it to a new level. the romney campaign attaches itself to untruth like a sexually aroused little dog on a visitor's leg. i mean, just starts humping away at these lies here. as you said, he makes the speech where he says that he read something somewhere about jeep going overseas to china. that's pointed out to him that's not true. chrysler points out to him that that's not true. so what does he do? doubles down with a tv ad. that's pointed out that that ad is not true. what does he do? triples down with a radio ad,

too. it is just extraordinary, and the question is do ohioans, do americans, does the media tolerate this level of dishonesty from a presidential candidate? i hope not. >> lee iacocca, by the way, is not going to come on television and endorse that claim. i predict that right now. he's been retired for 20 years. he's not going to back it up. i think they're exploiting the poor guy. he's been retired for years. to haul his name back because he obviously has the fondest of the romney family name is really exploitive. are the jeeps being produced now in ohio going -- those jobs for american buyers -- i have two jeeps. i have two of them. they're very cheap, okay? i have two of them. you can buy these cars. they're not big ones. okay? >> good american cars. >> these cars are great. one of my kids have buone, i ha one. will they continue to be made in ohio? answer, yes. why are they running ads saying they are going to move to china? >> i talked to a couple folks related to the campaign about

this. they clearly in one sense were kind of walking it back a little bit in terms of how this has been perceived or read by a lot of folks. >> how do we misread it? >> let me make my point. the emphasis is not that these jobs are going to be taken away from ohio or ohioans, but, in fact, they're creating jobs in china when we should be creating jobs here. >> but these are for chinese buyers. >> but this is the argument. that's great. for chinese buyers, then make the car here and send it to china if the chinese market wants to buy. why are you doing that? that's -- >> that's not what romney said. >> that's what a lot of companies are doing. you know, with he make the cars here and we ship them elsewhere and they buy them. >> maybe the deal with china is they don't want our cars -- >> wait a minute. chris, a at a time you need to create -- >> they're doing it. i don't want it to be two to one. i think you can handle this. this is one you can handle

easily. >> i think i'm right so you talk amongst yourselves. >> don't try that. i gave it to you. >> if romney had meant, gee, we're going to be making a bunch of jeeps for the chinese, maybe we should make them here, that was a point he could have made. he didn't say that. the ads don't imply that. what he said was the jobs that are here now are going to china because he read that somewhere. that was a lie. >> okay. never bring an honest man in to bring a dishonest ad. the obama campaign is up with this response ad. let them pick it up here. let's take a look. >> when the auto industry faced collapse, mitt romney turned his back. even the conservative detroit news criticized romney for his wrong-headedness on the bailout, and now after romney's false claim of jeep outsourcing to china, chrysler itself has refuted romney's lie. the truth? jeep is adding jobs in ohio. mitt romney on ohio jobs, wrong then. >> let detroit go bankrupt.

>> dishonest now. >> we're all men here but i have to get to this other issue of this distortion and dishonesty about abortion rights and now another issue and contention, women's rights and abortion. romney's surrogate and former senator norm coleman was at an aconvenient near cleveland, again, ohio, and reassured voters there that roe v. wade would never be overturned in a romney administration as the romney campaign is on the airwaves trying to tell women romney doesn't oppose contraception. take a look at both. these are totally dishonest. >> two supreme court choices. >> those ads saying mitt romney would ban all abortions and could treption seption seemed a big extreme so i looked into it. turns out romney doesn't oppose contraception at all. in fact, he thinks abortion should be an option in cases of rape, incest, or to save a mother's life. this issue is important to me, but i'm more concerned about the

debt our children will be left with. i voted for president obama last time, but we just can't afford four more years. >> i don't know who that actor is. i wish i could have talked to her and said no one ever said that romney was going to outlaw contracepti contraception. stop fighting a strawman. you're being dishonest to women out there. the issue is whether your insurance policy should cover it and who gets to decide whether it does or not. a legitimate discussion. but to say there's been an accusation, somebody is going to outlaw contraception and birth control which hasn't been outlawed since the '50s, how can you run an ad like that. >> at the beginning of the whole left war argument about the war on women, that was the centerpiece, that the republicans want to outlaw contraception. >> did a democrat ever accuse romney -- >> quite a few. >> where? >> quite a few, chris. did you miss that debate when they were talking about -- when the church first came up that the republicans and romney -- >> having it provided in your

insurance coverage. >> well, you asked the question and i answered it. >> you can fight food stamps without fighting food. okay? it's the difference between -- >> those are the facts. >> it's the different between saying you don't believe in food stamps and saying you don't believe in food. that's the difference we're talking about here. your thoughts? this other one boo norm coleman running around in ohio saying this president if he gets elected isn't going to get rid of roe v. wade. he has sworn he will do it. he says it all the time. your thoughts? ? he's announced it's a personal goal of his to get rid of roe v. wade. i suppose he could rely on the dodge that he won't do that, it will be the supreme court justices he appoints who ultimately do that, but clearly that's the goal. does anybody in their right mind think that mitt romney isn't going to appoint two, maybe three, supreme court justices if he's elected and that those supreme court justices will have as a litmus test for their being nominated that they are going to

overturn roe v. wade? >> you're right on three points, michael is wrong on all three. thank you. we gave you a couple deuces and -- a bad night for you. you had a bad hand. when we return, some of the incredible pictures and reporting from hurricane sandy. i grew up in on the jersey shore. this is "hardball," the place for politics. [ male announcer ] in blind taste tests, even ragu users chose prego.

prego?! but i've bought ragu for years. [ thinking ] wonder what other questionable choices i've made? i choose date number 2! whooo! [ sigh of relief ] [ male announcer ] choose taste. choose prego.

no, no, no, stop! humans -- one day, we're coming up with the theory of relativity, the next... stop, stop, stop! my car! not so much. but that's okay.

you're covered with great ideas like optional better car replacement from liberty mutual insurance. total your car, and we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. learn about it at libertymutual.com. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility -- what's your policy? welcome back to "hardball." well, the recovery from hurricane sandy will be under way for quite a while, of course, but the worst of the storm itself seems to have passed this part of the country. some of the real stars of the past day or so have been our reporters that were in the thick of it bringing us on the ground accounts of what was happening. let's take a look back at what they encountered. >> good evening from point pleasant beach in new jersey. this sand dune about 30 yards wide, about 12 feet tall is what separates the ocean from the town and it's been deteriorating

throughout the day. >> we are beginning to take the worst of hurricane sandy on the jersey shore. look at this wave. >> we're getting one heck of a back kick out of this thing. it's like a mule rearing up on its front legs and letting go because that's the way i feel right now. >> the water continues to come up at-bat tri park. look at this water. it continues to roll in. we still have a ways totion until we get to high tide. the water could come up more than it does right now. >> this house hours ago was in fine shape, but the waves have just been relentless. just pounding through. >> set off a collapse zone. no cars, no pedestrians in this area. >> i'm on someone's front steps but you can see it's sitting in a pile of water here. >> i don't know how much longer we can actually stay out here. >> i don't think we're going to be able to stay in this position much longer. >> not expecting much improvement over the next several hours. my goodness the wind is just insane. >> i'm cold, i'm miserable, and it doesn't look very good at

all. >> on the sand dune all day, and suddenly the waves are washing over it. >> again, the streets are flooded. on the other side -- >> the whole uncertainty about what's going on around here, this is not fun at all. i got to tell you. >> most people have gone, but there are still a few stragglers. >> we're actually across the street from the beach and the ocean. >> you can see the water is up to my knees, up to the park benches here. more importantly, a record storm surge. >> that is a metal sign and appropriately it says "body piercing." if that were to fly off and hit us, it would be doing some body piercing. >> if the wind sways this crane, it could snap off and go crashing into one of the buildings. >> my photographer, who is shooting this right now, his name is jimmy muller, was hit by a flying piece of sign. it cut him on the inside of his wrist. it cut his ring finger, i believe it was his ring finger.

he's okay. he's shooting this live shot for us right now. we taped him up, we had a first aid kit that the republican provides. >> rain is coming sideways and i can feel this sand hitting my back. >> another wave. wow. >> big tip of the hat to all of them. thank you for all that great reporting. it's titanic out there. up next, is climate change to blame for hurricane sandy, if it so is it time we got serious about it. you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. when you take a closer look... ...at the best schools in the world... ...you see they all have something very interesting in common. they have teachers... ...with a deeper knowledge of their subjects. as a result, their students achieve at a higher level. let's develop more stars in education. let's invest in our teachers... ...so they can inspire our students.

let's solve this. he loves risk. but whether he's climbing everest, scuba diving the great barrier reef with sharks, or jumping into the market, he goes with people he trusts, which is why he trades with a company that doesn't nickel and dime him with hidden fees. so he can worry about other things, like what the market is doing and being ready, no matter what happens, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense, from td ameritrade. woman: what do you mean, homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods? [ heart rate increases ] man: a few inches of water caused all this? [ heart rate increases ] woman #2: but i don't even live near the water. what you don't know about flood insurance may shock you -- including the fact that a preferred risk policy starts as low as $129 a year. for an agent, call the number

that appears on your screen. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] some day, your life will flash before your eyes. ♪ make it worth watching. ♪ the new 2013 lexus ls. an entirely new pursuit.

hello, everybody. i'm melisilissa rehberger. wall street will be back in business tomorrow. they will reopen wednesday after hurricane sandy shut down trading for two days. the organizers of the new york city marathon say they are going ahead with sunday's race despite

the damage caused by sandy. meanwhile, ubs announced it will cut up to 10,000 jobs by 2015. they say they're trying to restructure their investment banking unit. now back to "hardball." welcome back to "hardball." campaigning for president obama today, former president bill clinton made the political link between hurricane sandy and manmade climate change when he referred to mitt romney's stance on climate change in the recent debate. this is gripping. let's listen. >> he ridiculed the president, ridiculed the president for his efforts to fight global warming in economically beneficial way. he said, oh, you're going to turn back the seas. in my part of america, we would have liked it if someone could

have done that yesterday. all up and down the east coast there are mayors, many of them republicans, who are being told you got to move these houses back away from the ocean. you got to lift them up. cli 3459 change is going to raise the water levels on a permanent basis. if you want your town insured, you have to do this. in the real world, barack obama's policies work better. >> he's unbelievable. our extreme weather we're facing right now in the northeast from droughts and wildfires across the country, now hurricane sandy, make the case that manmade global warming is not only real but is having an effect. ed markey is the top democrat on the natural resource congress and senior member of the energy committee. michael oppenheimer is a professor at princeton university. i want to start with professor oppenheimer. simply put, when you look at hurricane sandy, which is a funny name for something hitting our beaches and causing such havoc, do you see climate

change, manmade climate change, in the face? >> this is definitely the kind of thing we expect to see more of in the future, but in addition while global warming didn't cause hurricane sandy, it almost surely made the impact worse, and that's because sea level has been rising for the last century due to global warming, and when this huge storm came along at high tide with a full moon with this huge fetch of water gathered up over the atlantic ocean, it was pushing on a sea level which was higher than it would otherwise have been and it was able to push the water further and further inland. i live in downtown manhattan. i saw the damage, and i can tell you that this situation is only going to get worse over this century and over the coming years and decades because global warming will continue to cause sea level to rise and probably cause such storms to become more intense until we reduce the emissions of the greenhouse gases that are causing the problem. >> in the real world, not the parallel universe of the people

on the far right, the luddites, mayor bloomberg is trying to retrofit the subways thinking about the future and this water level thing, congressman. >> absolutely. this has real-world impacts on ordinary people. as the professor just said, the ocean is now much hotter. as a result, it's much higher, and the arctic is melting, and that's changing the jet stream which would have ordinarily put this storm off to sea. so as a result there is an extreme weather tax now. it's going to be billions and billions of dollars, and while mitt romney is concerned about the koch brothers, the average american right now is worried about global warming, worried about climate change, worried about the impact on their family. >> who are these people, professor, who fight you? who are these people that write op-ed pieces in "the wall street journal" with such assurance that this is all bogus science? who -- are they phonies? are they quacks?

>> there are different motivations. some people don't want to hear about global warming because it's bad news and there's enough bad news in the world and everybody has plenty to worry about anyway. some people don't want to hear about it because it gets in the way of their economic interests, those would be the fossil fuel companies, for instance. and some people are just generally skeptical and don't like experts, and, frankly, i don't like experts all the time myself either. but these are the facts. every academy of science of every major country in the world has said this is happening. it's happening now. it's only going to get worse until we start taking actions to stem the emissions that are causing the problem. but in the meantime, this stuff is going to be happening even if we get emissions under control for some time, for decades, so we have to learn how to adapt better, how to prepare for such a potential disaster, how to mitigate their damages. >> we don't have any high ground to go to in this where we have 6 billion people living on this plan planet. there's no other planet to go

to. but politics is about every two years, every four years. how do you run a political argument that has to be paid off within the next couple years? you have to win the argument. who is willing to vote for somebody who is willing to do something for climate change? >> well, this frames the election for next tuesday very well. it's mother nature versus the koch brothers. >> who are the koch brothers? >> they are the single largest funders of this -- >> oil and gas. >> the oil and gas industry, the coal industry. they are funding mitt romney and the republicans across this country. they want romney in because here is what romney is promising. one, he's going to do away with the tax breaks for wind energy but keep it for oil. he is going to do away with the fuel economy standards that increase the efficiency of the vehicles we drive up to 55 miles per gallon backing out 6 billion met trk tons of co2, back out 3 million barrels of oil per day from the persian gulf, all the

oil we import. thek och brothers want romney, and romney has promised, to roll back the fuel economy incentives. it's going to endanger young men and women who have to go to the middle east to import the oil. >> professor, back in the '60s we called such people pigs. they don't care about the planet, don't care about the destruction of war, all they care about is their stuff. and they want more of it. is that what we're talking about, greed? i'm talking about people who won't listen to you or science because they want more stuff? >> listen, chris, i'm not into name calling here. >> well, i am. >> fine, that's your job, not mine. we have a serious job to do. the administration has actually started to put in regulations to reduce emissions. u.s. emissions are actually down modestly. we have a long way to go. we're going to have to do this by august getting together and acting cooperatively. we have to do in our own lives what we can, get those energy efficient appliances and cars. we have to encourage the

government to start passing more -- tighter regulations to reduce emissions, and we have to also be prepared to deal with some of the climate change that's inevitable by better planning and organization around the townings and communities we live in. everybody has it get involved. >> congressman markey, i have known you forever. i watch you fight this fight. i watch the goodwill and the good effort to fight these people, but on the other side of the fid, it's not just always the other side of the aisle, not always republicans, huge amounts of money being paid to congressmen and women running for re-election that says, hands off. don't push this thing, right? >> well, mitt romney was a climate science believer when he was the governor of massachusetts. no republican can be nominated to run for president of the united states if they say they believe in climate science. having a conversation with that mitt romney would be like having a conversation with an empty chair. that governor that we had. he cannot run. it's a party controlled by these interests that want to kill fuel economy standards, wind, solar,

geothermal, by o, all the things that young people in our country know we have to invest in if they're going to i a void the most catastrophic consequences. there is no emergency room for a planet. we have to put in place the preventative measures as the professor just said to protect against that danger. >> some day they'll remember the people that didn't do anything. thank you, ed markey, most professor michael open himer. speaking of bipartisan, a prominent republican with a famous last name wants to get endorsement of president obama. this is "hardball." think eisenhower republican, remember them? this is the place for politics. to tell real people about our new 15 under $15 menu. oh my goodness! oh my gosh, this looks amazing! that's a good deal! [ man ] wow! it is so good! [ male announcer ] our new maine stays! 15 entrees under $15, seafood, chicken and more! oo! the tilapia with roasted vegetables! i'm actually looking at the wood grilled chicken with portobello wine sauce. you so fascinated by the prices, you keep rambling on! i know! -that pork chop was great! -no more fast food friday's!

so we gotta go! we're going to go to red lobster. yep. [ male announcer ] try our 15 under $15 menu and sea food differently! oh, hey alex. just picking up some, brochures, posters copies of my acceptance speech. great! it's always good to have a backup plan, in case i get hit by a meteor. wow, your hair looks great. didn't realize they did photoshop here. hey, good call on those mugs. can't let 'em see what you're drinking. you know, i'm glad we're both running a nice, clean race. no need to get nasty. here's your "honk if you had an affair with taylor" yard sign.

looks good. [ male announcer ] fedex office. now save 50% on banners. we've got some new senate polling. let's check the sker board starting in massachusetts where a new suffolk poll shows elizabeth warren with a seven-point lead over scott brown. it's warren, 53%. a powerful number. brown, 46%. but a new boston globe poll has the race still tied 47-47. in ohio a new cincinnati enquirer poll has democratic senator sherrod brown up over josh mandel by 4%. a sunshine state news poll has bill nelson leading connie mack by five. too close for that one, 49%, 44%. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] you are a business pro.

governor of getting it done. you know how to dance... with a deadline. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. this is awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is, business pro. yes, it is. go national. go like a pro.

tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 at schwab, we're committed to offering you tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 low-cost investment options-- tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 like our exchange traded funds, or etfs tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 which now have the lowest tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 operating expenses tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 in their respective tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 lipper categories. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 lower than spdr tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and even lower than vanguard. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 that means with schwab, tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 your portfolio has tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 a better chance to grow. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and you can trade all our etfs online, tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 commission-free, from your schwab account. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 so let's talk about saving money, tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 with schwab etfs. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 schwab etfs now have the lowest operating expenses tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 in their respective lipper categories. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 call 1-800-4schwab tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 or visit schwab.com tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 to open an account today. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 funding is easy tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 with schwab mobile deposit. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 investors should consider tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 carefully information tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 contained in the prospectus, tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 including investment objectives, tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 risks, charges, and expenses. you can obtain tdd#: 1-800-345-2550

a prospectus by visiting tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 www.schwab.com/schwabetfs. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 please read the prospectus tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 carefully before investing. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 we're back. four years ago granddaughter of dwight eisenhower endorsed president obama. now, ms. eisenhower, a registered independent is saying this president deserves four more years and has work to go down. mitt romney she said, quote, as a result of this campaign i'm more confused than ever about what mitt romney stands for. i know little of his core beliefs, if he even has any. no one agrees on what they are and that's why i don't want to take a chance on what he said. well said. i love how you put that. i have more to say on this topic. he is almost -- he's not the

cellophane man up. can't see him. there's nothing there you can actually -- what's beneath the shoulder, the ties and the shirt? is there anything you believe can last past the current speech? >> that's the problem. he had to run to the extreme right to get the nomination. now classicicly candidates move to the middle. he didn't do that until late in the campaign which leads to you believe perhaps he was with the ideas he was espousing during the primary. >> that's my point. he made hard commitments, no revenues, the neoconservatives, no hawkish people, he's made commitments to the religious right, and he's made all these commitments to them on choice, everything, contraception, even on same-sex marriage. he's against everything. >> they'll call in those chips, too. they try just about every candidate until they finally ended up with mitt romney. the thing that concerns me most

is he's going to wanted a second term. because he wants a second term he has to keep that base relatively happy or he's going to get a contender 37. >> so, will he stay bought? >> i think that is the compelling thing about a second term for any president, is that all of the politicking you have to do the first time around. >> you're a smart lady, of course, and i want to put you up against someone as equally as smart. i completely disagree with david brooks. he said today, i think this was a campaign season column for him and i'm knocking him for this. he made a prediction how mitt romney would govern with his eye toward the re-election but he says, quote, to get re-elected in a country with a rising minority population and shrinking coalition, mitt romney's shape-shifting nature would induce him to govern as a center-right moderate. if romney wins we're more likely to get bipartisan reform.

romney is more of a flip-flop than obama. >> that's the strangest endorsement. he has no backbone. he's our guy. what an mazing statement by david brooks. >> i was going to say, what about this shape-changing experience? what have we seen in that regard? >> he's never fought -- well, that's the point you're making. at least john mccain stood up to the woman who said, obama's an arab, and bill clinton, who's flexible, a pretty good politician said we set up with sister soldier, when he thought those lyrics went too far, hip-hop. >> he thinks only mitt romney can make congress cooperate. and i think this is really a very, very dangerous idea, that unless one side gets its way then they're simply not going to cooperate. i think the public is fed up with this. i think they want congress to cooperate with the new president, no matter who it is.

>> this guy mourdock and akin, they're further right than mitch mcconnell. they're going to join the demint crowd. >> they are. and i think the promises made earlier in the campaign will come back -- >> can you comment on your relatives? >> i'm the washington eisenhower -- >> i'm hoping they can join this team. they are great people as are you. great family. susan eisenhower. we'll be right back. you're watching "hardball." u sue you can fit in there? [ chuckles ] ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] around view monitor with bird's-eye view. nice work. [ male announcer ] introducing the all-new nissan pathfinder. it's our most innovative pathfinder ever. nissan. innovation that excites. ♪

email marketing from constant contact reaches people in a place they're checking every day -- their inbox. and it gives you the tools to create custom emails that drive business. it's just one of the ways constant contact can help you grow your small business. sign up for your free trial today at constantcontact.com/try. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you.

call and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, it could save you thousands in out-of-pocket costs. call now to request your free decision guide. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him. you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and you never need a referral. see why millions of people have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp. don't wait. call now.

let me finish tonight with what susan eisenhower just asked. do you, does anyone have a grip on who mitt romney is? really? the moderate pro choice governor from massachusetts, the guy who goo gave us the model for obama care or hangs closely with hawks, joins with religious right. is he dr. jekyll or mr. hyde, or is he both or neither? jack kennedy once said he felt sorry for his rival richard nixon because he doesn't know who he is and each stop he has to decide which nixon he is at the moment. worse case? do you think this guy mr. romney will suddenly have the force of will to betray the right? have you seen a single case when romney's broken free from the mob that's brought him this far, a single sister soldier when he says of the trumps, sununu